Fallen Queen
by lionheartilly
Summary: Erza, in her attempts to protect her beloved Jellal during battle with Acnologia, receives grave injuries and is in dire need of help. How does Jellal manage the fact that his precious scarlet is dying in his arms? What can he do now to help save her life when he himself is wounded and exhausted...


Jellal knew Erza was loosing too much blood. "Erza, why… why did you sacrifice yourself like this to protect me of all people?" He ran frantically through the flaming ruins after Acnologia's attack, searching for someone, anyone to help, but most of the people surrounding him were severely wounded themselves, dying or burnt to a crisp. Erza's skin felt cold and clammy on Jellal's bare hands and her breathing was becoming more shallow by the minute. "Just please, hold on, Erza… don't give up on me. I'm trying to find your guild. I will get you back to Fairy Tail so they can help you, but you must hold on a bit longer."

"Jellal," Erza moaned hoarsely in response. As tired as Jellal's legs were and as weak as his own body felt from exhausting his own magical power through this battle, he would not fall down. He would carry Erza to safety if his own life depended on it. He would do whatever it took to save hers. Jellal peered ahead through the haze of firey smog and smoke, and saw a few shadows of people moving about.

"PLEASE!" Jellal called out, clutching Erza close to him. "PLEASE! I NEED YOUR HELP! SHE'S WOUNDED! ERZA IS…" but the blue haired mage could not bring himself to speak the words. He refused to believe that anything would happen to her. He had to believe he'd make it in time for someone to save her life. And before he even had the chance to make his way toward the moving figures that could be seen ahead, Erza's breathing ceased. Her arms fell limp by her sides and her head lolled backward on Jellal's arm.

The crease in her brow that had been there moments before indicating the pain she was feeling smoothed out and her tightened eyes had relaxed. The wide gash across her stomach, followed by multiple stab wounds oozed out blood that had stained Jellal's cloak and soaked through to his skin. Jellal gasped, his eyes widening as he stared down at his beloved scarlet haired. "Erza…?" But there was no reply from her. Jellal pressed two fingers against her neck, desperately feeling for a pulse, but there was nothing. "N-no…," he whispered, his breath tremulous.

"Jellal!" he heard a familiar, female voice ahead and he squinted to see through the smoke. A young, blue-haired girl came rushing toward him. She was covered in dirt and bruises and scratches herself, but otherwise appeared to be safe and not too severely injured. "What's going on!? What happened to Erza!"

Jellal swallowed. "Wendy. Erza was… she is… You have healing magic right? You can help her, r-right?" His hazel green eyes started hard into the young dragon slayer's brown ones before him that were slowly filling up with tears at the shocking sight of the battered, bloodied and beaten young woman that was Erza Scarlet in front of her. "You can heal her. You can save her, can't you?" The mage didn't even bother to care how desperate he sounded. He could not let Erza die. He couldn't let fate take her away from him. If that were the case, then he'd simply find a way and fast to follow her into death.

"Oh… Erza!" Wendy wailed. "No! She can't be! Erza is the most powerful wizard in Fairy Tail! She's our protector! Our savior! She's the Queen of the Fairies! No! Erza! We can't lose you!" She stared down at Erza's limp form, hardly daring to believe what was before her eyes.

Jellal carefully went to his knees, his legs too exhausted and shaking for him to stand up any longer, and laid Erza out in front of him, pulling her upper body into his lap and cradling her head with the crease of his arm. He couldn't fight back the tears that were slowly creeping up from behind his eyelids and into his own eyes. He raised his head to look up at the young girl standing in front of them, refusing to let the fall. Wendy, who'd now covered her mouth with both of her hands as though attempting to control the sobbing threatening to burst out of her, couldn't take her eyes away from Erza's form. "Please, Wendy!" Jellal cried out, pulling the girl's attention to his face and he pierced his gaze with her own. "I'm begging you… You have to help her… you have to save her… Erza can't. She just, she can't…" his voice hitched, and Jellal swallowed back against the lump forming in his throat making it difficult to speak.

Wendy's entire body shook as the tears cascaded down her face in rivulets. "I… don't know if I can, Jellal… I've used so much magical energy and… Erza.. Sh-she is… Jellal, she's already d-," and Wendy's voice broke off as she dropped to her knees in front of Erza weeping soundly, placing her hands over the gashed torso of the red haired mage.

At those words, Jellal's breath caught in his throat and he stared up at the fire-filled sky, the flames in his vision become increasingly distorted and blurred by the moisture in his eyes. He didn't hear the screaming of the other members of Fairy Tail as they came rushing toward the three of them. He didn't hear Natsu's wailing, Lucy's sobbing, Gray's howling, Juvia's whimpering, the pleads coming from the guild, and Carla's shaking tones as she tried to calm and encourage Wendy.

He couldn't even bring himself comprehend anything happening around him because at this very moment he was holding his beloved Erza Scarlet in his arms, and she was unmoving, not breathing, no pulse and her skin was growing chilled against his hands. Jellal was filled with regret, and it was then, he finally let the tears fall, the bitter scream tore from the confines of his throat and he cried, loudly. His bangs falling down over his face and into his eyes, and tears sliding, making their descent, one after another as he was filled with regret. Nothing in the world mattered now. His Erza, his precious friend, the one whom he loved more than anyone and anything in the entire world, was gone. The mighty Titania had fallen.

Jellal hung his head, allowing the tears to freely fall, splashing onto his precious scarlet-haired's face. The risidual sounds around him of grieving guildmates surrounded him, along with the encouragement from Carla and pleading of the others. Jellal couldn't bring himself to say a word. All he could do was just cry. What would happen if Wendy did use her Sky Dragon healing on Erza? Would she be able to revive her or not? He was unsure, and at this point it looked to be very grave. Wendy had said she had already used up a lot of magical energy. Perhaps asking her to save Erza was too much for the young child. He stared down at the fallen warrior in his arms, her image blurred by the unrelenting water in his eyes, and then a blue glow filled his vision.

Wendy was concentrating all of her power with every inch of her being that was left into healing Erza, tears still rolling down the young bluenette's cheeks. Her hands glowed with their mysterious power and Jellal could feel the warmth emanating from them. His eyes widened as he watched in wonder the wounds slowly began closing up on Erza's battered, broken body.

"You can do it, child," Carla whispered from somewhere close by, and Erza's guildmates had all become silent as they watched the young dragon slayer at work. And without warning, Erza threw her head back, took in a heavy gasp and coughed hard, the remaining blood spattering out of her mouth, and her chest began heaving up and down, her amber eyes flying open wide as she struggled and gulped in air, breath after breath. Wendy wiped the tears from her eyes with her wrist before continuing her best to heal all of the wounds on Erza's body, and now all that was left behind now was the blood still staining her skin and some rather angry looking scars. The blue glow stopped, and Wendy fell back onto her haunches, exhausted from the endeavor.

There was a happy squeal that sounded near the gathered group. "Y-you saved her! Wendy! She's alive! Erza's alive!" came Lucy's crying voice and all the resounding cheers and happy crying came from Fairy Tail, but Jellal was back into his focus of only one person, and that was the woman laying in his arms.

She peered up at Jellal's face and slowly raised her hand to cup his cheek. "Jellal," she breathed with a tired smile and a slighty chuckle. "Silly. Why are you crying?" Jellal just shook his head as he had no words for the woman in front of him now, and he pulled Erza up to his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her now alive body, gripping her hard and close, pressing his face into the crook of her neck. Erza sighed softly and laid her head against his heaving shoulder. "I'm fine. I promise. I'm here. Everything will be alright and I'm not going anywhere."

Jellal grit his teeth harshly. "Don't… _ever_ do that again, Erza," were the only words he could choke out as a fresh wave of tears made their appearance, only this time they were tears of relief. His scarlet haired beauty, his precious Titania, his beloved Erza was alive.

"I won't. I promise, I won't," she assured him, and Erza inclined her head toward the group of Fairy Tail members. She gave them a reassuring, apologetic smile before turning back to face Jellal. The guild stood and watched with smiles and relief at the twosome as they held onto each other, two exhausted, trembling bodies wrapped around each other, filled with fear, filled with relief, filled with happiness and also two people that knew they no longer wanted anymore regrets. And as Jellal pulled Erza back to capture her eyes with his eyes once more, he knew that this right here was what he wanted more than ever, and with her alive and him by her side, that was all that mattered.


End file.
